Method of manufacturing golf balls



Aug. 31, 1926. 1,597,904

. I o J. KUHLKE METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GOLF BALLS Filed March 18 1924gwuentoz 07m 1mm;

, Patented 1926.

UNITED s r s- OTTO FKUHLKE,

2 I PATENT; OFFICE.

or AKRON, onIo.

'mn'rnonor MANUFACTURING GOLF BALLS.

Application filed March 18,1924. Serial No. 700,i15d.

' This invention relates to the manufacture of golf balls and has forits object the production of an improve method of making golf balls,wlrereby, an inexpensive ball wlll I 5 be made having the -requ1redlivellness, weight, accuracy and other desirable properties. As animportant feat'ure f the m 'vention there is provided a wlre woundsphere the convolutions orinterstices of 10 which are filled withrubber, the center of the sphere containing sponge rubber. -The wholestructure is enclosed and encased 1n a suitable covering.

It will .be appreciated .that the 1nven=. tion is susceptible ofembodiment n other form than the specific form shown and describedherein and such changes and modifications are intended to be coveredherein.-

In the drawings are shown the various steps of the process and thecompleted ball in which:

Fig. 1, is a view showing the first stepsm the manufacture of theball.

Fig. 2, shows the ball'n the mold or vul- 2 canizer in; which it iscured.

Fig. 3, is a section through ball.'

The ball of the. present inventlon comprises as an. element by which itis grven resilience and weight, a sphere COIIIPIlSlIlg' a strand of wirewhich is wound into the form of a sphere the various convolutions whichgo to make up the sphere being wound upon one another .untilx-a-hollowball is obtained;

the wall of which is highly. resilient and are not liable to be-de'ntedor deformed. The

' numeral 1 indicates a steel wire of the required temper. This wire iswound upon 1tthe completed self in aplurality of overlying convolutions.

40 In Fig. 1 thesphere is shown during the process of manufactureatwhlchtlme the convolutions of "the wire are opened suf-' ficientlysothat a piece or'mass of rubber 2 can be inserted within the hollowsphere. 4 This mass of rubber is compounded with or carries within it avolatile substance, indicated at 3, which upon heating during vu'l-'canization will expand to form sponge rubber. After the rubber isinserted with the hol- 'low s here the winding of the wire'is continueuntil a wall'of suflicient thickness is formed. lhe completed sphere isshown iii-Fig. 2 at 4,.andis surrounded or encased. bythe two halvesofthe cover" 5, which is then placed in the mold 6.

Upon heating, the cover will be cured and mass of rubber will expandduring vulcanination fand force its way through and with- 1n the spacesor; interstices, while the central portion thereof is converted into arubber sponge/7.1 In this manner the entire' mass of wire within theball is effectually. filled' with rubber.'

As far as known to me the hollow sphere of wlre wound upon itself andsurrounding and enclos1ng a mass of sponge rubber a portion of whichpermeates the coils'of wire, is new and as such the invention as setforth in the claims is entitled to full protection thereon While theinvention is described. as applled to golf balls, it is obvious that itmay alsobe applied to resilient balls for all purposes.

Wh t is claimedis: 1. A method of manufacturing resilient ballscomprising, forming a hollow sphere from con'volutions of wire,inserting within the sphere during the process of formation, a massof-uncured rubber having a volatrliamg agent incorporated therewith, providing a cover about said sphere and vulcan- 12mg the ball whereby themass bf rubber is converted intosponge rubber.

2. A method of manufacturingresilient balls comprising, forming a hollowsphere from convolutions of wlre about a mass of uncured rubber and avolatilizing agent,

providing a cover about the sphere and vul-, can zlng whereby .a portionof the rubber penetrates the interstices of the sphere and theremainderis, converted into a mass of sponge'rubber.

'3. A method of manufacturing resilient balls comprising, forming asphere from convolutions of wire about a mass of uncuredrubberand avolatiliiing agent and vulcanizing whereby a portion of the rubberpenetrates the interstices of the sphere and the remainder is convertedinto sponge rubber. 4. A method of manufacturing resilient ballscomprising, forming a resilient metals a lie sphere having locatedwithin ita mass of uncuredr bber and a volatilizing agent'andvulcanizing whereby the rubber is converted into amass of sponge rubber.

-5. A method of manufacturing resilient balls comprising, forming a;wiresphere having'located within it a; mass of uncured rubberan'd avolatilizing. agentand vulcanizing"'whereby the rubber is converted intoa mass of sponge rubber.

o'r ro JlK UHLKE.

